Momiji
Momiji (紅葉) is Kureha's younger sister and Ryu Hayabusa's apprentice who first appears in Ninja Gaiden Dragon Sword. She later appeared as a playable character in Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2 and an NPC Ninja Gaiden 3. Like Kasumi, she is available as a free DLC Character in Ninja Gaiden 3: Razor's Edge for the Wii U system and as an unlockable character for the Xbox 360 and PS3 systems. Appearance Momiji is a tall, young girl with hazel eyes and long black hair tied in a ponytail. She originally wore a white standard Hayabusa ninja garb, but later adopts an outfit with a white top with red ribboned edges and red kunoichi styled pants. Personality Momiji is a very gentle and caring young woman who is seen by the village children as an older sister figure, whom they look up to. Like her mentor Ryu Hayabusa, Momiji has a strong will and refuses to accept any vulnerabilities and trains extensively to become one of the deadliest warriors in the Hayabusa village. History Along with her older sister Kureha, Momiji was raised to be a Dragon Shrine Maiden. She was tasked with keeping the ancient relics passed down the Hayabusa Village from the ancient Dragon Lineage and carrying out the Shrine Maiden's rites and rituals to purify the world of malicious evil forces. Among the relics that the Dragon Shrine Maidens were tasked with guarding is the Eye of the Dragon, a jewel said to contain the souls of the ancient Dragons. Unlike Kureha, Momiji was spared the fate of her older sister during the Dark Dragon Blade Incident. At the time, Momiji was away from the village on an errand only to come back to a ruined village. She was devastated by the loss of the many lives, especially her elder sister. Momiji began training under Ryu as a precaution and ended up becoming a skilled kunoichi along with her Shrine Maiden abilities for the sake of the Hayabusa Village. She supports and follows her master whenever he comes around. Plot Ninja Gaiden Dragon Sword After training in the Forest of Shadows with Ryu, as she had done everyday since the attack on the Hayabusa Village, Momiji tells him to go ahead while she stays behind to pick flowers for Kureha's grave, as she had promised to Sakura earlier. Unfortunately, while picking flowers, she is attacked by the Black Spider Clan, under the order of elder sorceress Obaba, to retrieve the ancient relics of the Hayabusa clan. Though she manages to kill many Black Spider ninjas, she is overwhelmed by the fiendish Red Dragon and taken prisoner. At the Black Spider clan's base, Momiji is interrogated by Obaba for the Shrine Maiden's Eye of the Dragon. It is soon revealed that Momiji had managed to fuse the Dragons Eye into her soul, preventing Obaba from killing her. As events unfold, it is also revealed that Obaba is working for the Fiends' leader Ishtaros. Ishtaros eventually takes possession of the captive Momiji, after transforming Obaba into a fiend, in hopes that she may lure Ryu and kill him. Later, during the battle between Ryu and Ishtaros at the Gates of Hell, Momiji watches in horror as Ryu is overwhelmed by Ishtaros and the Dark Dragonstones' power. Suddenly, the ghost of Kureha appears and draws out Momiji's soul. Together they release the Eye of the Dragon and imbue the Dragon Sword with its power, allowing it to become the True Dragon Sword. With it, Ryu is able to defeat Ishtaros. As Ishtaros falls, Nicchae, the Greater Fiend of Destruction and Ishtaros's twin, appears and takes Momiji, Ishtaros' body and the eight Dark Dragonstones deeper into Hell in an attempt to reawaken the Vigoor Emperor. Nicchae's plan ends in failure, as the Dark Dragon consumes the Emperor and Ishtaros before bursting forth to threaten the world once again. Ryu defeats the Dark Dragon with the True Dragon Sword, and Momiji is finally rescued. After the incident, Momiji is reunited with the children of the Hayabusa Village and mourns Kureha alongside the children. She makes a vow at Kureha's grave to become stronger so she can defend herself and the Hayabusa Village. She leaves Ryu a letter as she departs the village to train in her travels. The Vampire War After travelling and training, Momiji returns to the Hayabusa village and resumes her duties as Shrine Maiden. She and the villagers are very worried when Jo Hayabusa returns to the village wounded, but relieved when Ryu assures them Jo will recover. She then informs Ryu of the Black Spider Clan's presence in the Sky City Tokyo. Momiji is then tasked by Ryu to watch over the village. Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2 While Ryu is away at Tokyo, the Hayabusa village is invaded once again by the Black Spider clan. As Jo battles Genshin, Momji rallies the Hayabusa ninjas to protect the rest of the villagers. Ryu later returns to the village and repels the invasion, killing almost all the invading Black Spider ninjas. The next morning, Momiji surveys a destroyed part of the village and soon realizes that Sanji has been taken captive, prompting her to go rescue him. As she travels to Tokyo, she encounters one of the Tengu Brothers and soundly defeats him. This leads her to Sanji, who is being held prisoner by both brothers. After her victorious battle, she reassures the saddened Sanji that, until he becomes a master ninja, she will always look out for him. As they return home, they are unknowingly saved by Muramasa, who kills a Black Spider Ninja who is about to shoot an arrow at them. Ninja Gaiden 3 After Sanji finds Ryu unconscious outside and brings him to Momiji, she watches over him and helps him recover. During his journey to find his father in the shrine, she assists him in dealing with the Grip of Murder curse while helping him defeat the Black Spider Ninja Clan. Whenever the curse almost takes complete control over Ryu, Momiji uses her power to protect his mind and help him regain his senses. As they get near to the shrine, they are attacked by Obaba, but they manage to defeat her. Near the end of the battle, Momiji is knocked unconscious by Obaba, but Ryu manages to save her and brings her to the shrine to be taken care of by his father. When Canna attacks Tokyo as the Goddess and Ryu begins to become overwhelmed by Fiends created by the LOA, Momiji and Jo arrive just in time to save him. She gives her master the Eye of the Dragon before he departs, leaving her and his father to fight off the surrounding foes. Powers and Abilities General *'Agility': Momiji is quick and agile, able to briefly move at hypersonic speeds. *'Strength': Her strength level is that of a female human of her age and fitness level who engages in intense training in order to protect her clan. *'Acrobatics': Like most ninja, Momiji is able to easily move between platforms, jump off of and briefly run on walls. *'Hand to Hand': Momiji has proficient training in Hayabusa style ninjutsu. *'Ninja Sense': A Ninja ability that allows her to sense her path, and evil spirits in her proximity. *'Ki Manipulation': As a shrine maiden, Momiji is proficient at channelling her ki to purify haunted locations and evil forces. *'Spiritual Regeneration': Momiji's ability to heal fatal wounds with her spiritual lifeforce, until it is depleted. *'Heal Ally': Momiji's ability to heal an ally who is on the verge of death. Techniques *'Reverse Wind': A technique where Momiji quickly perform an evasive ninja dash. *'Shadowless Footsteps': Basic ninja wall running ability. *'Double Jump': After the first jump, Momiji is able to jump again without a need for physical structures to push off of. She is the only character in the series to have this ability. *'Counter Attack': A technique Ryu learned during the Dark Dragon Blade Incident, he passes it on to Momiji, who uses it to launch an attack from a defensive position right before an enemy attacks. *'Furious Wind Technique': Similar to the Reverse Wind Technique, while blocking an attack that is landing, Momiji is able to quickly dodge the attack. *'Flying Bird Flip': A Hayabusa ninja technique used by Momiji to vertically elevate herself by leaping between two surfaces. *'Izuna Drop': A Hayabusa clan special technique. Momiji does this by launching her opponent in the air, grabbing them and doing a spinning pile driver into the ground. *'Izuna Falcon': Momiji's variation of Hayabusa clan's Izuna Drop, while in the air with her enemy, she stabs her enemy downwards with her Naginata and slams them full force into the ground. Unlike the other techniques she learned from Ryu, she learned this move on her own during her travels. Ninpo *'Art of the Crimson Lotus': A divine ninpo that transforms dancing leaves into flames that incinerate evil in a vortex of purifying fire. The sacred flames will only burn the wicked, leaving the innocent unscathed. *'Ultimate Ninpo': Merging Momiji's ninpo with an ally, their combined might creates a powerful ninpo attack. *'Autumn Flame': A technique where Momiji uses a small amount of ki to unleash a fireball. It is unlockable skill in Ninja Gaiden 3: Razor's Edge. Weapons & Equipment *'Katana': A basic katana sword used by the ninjas of the Hayabusa clan. Momiji mastered the use of this weapon under Ryu Hayabusa's tutelage. *'Heavenly Dragon Naginata': A "Shizuka" type naginata weapon kept by the Dragon Shrine Maidens, it is said to be carved from the tailbone of a dragon. This is Momiji's main weapon. *'Heavensong Bow': A bow used by the Dragon Shrine Maidens in rituals, where Shrine Maidens would pluck the bowstring like an instrument to drive away evil spirits. *'Kunai': Ninja throwing knives. Momiji uses these in Ninja Gaiden 3 along with her bow. They have the same functionality as Shurikens. Trivia *Momiji's Heavenly Dragon Naginata allows her to charge an Ultimate Technique while airborne. She is currently the only character capable of performing this. *Momiji is the only playable character in the modern console series capable of performing double jumps. *Hanamaru, Denroku, Sanji and Sakura look up to her and love her like a big sister. *Momiji also appears as a non-playable guest character in Dynasty Warriors: Strikeforce on the PS3 version. * Momiji appears in Koei/Tecmo's Musou Orochi 2 Hyper (Warriors Orochi 3 Hyper) for the Wii U. She is the fourth Ninja Gaiden character to appear in this edition, after Ryu Hayabusa, Ayane and Rachel. * Momiji has appeared in the fan-made CG movie series Dead Fantasy, debuting in the fifth episode. She was accompanying Ryu Hayabusa while he saved Kasumi from the Kasumi X clones. Although Momiji hasn't fought yet, she is shown to have the ability to examine a person's memories, as shown when she did this on Kasumi. Ryu and Momiji take Kasumi away, most likely to get her aid for her wounds. A preview/test video of a possible future episode shows her fighting against Naminé at an urban rooftop environment with Ryu watching nearby. * Momiji is a playable character in Dead or Alive 5 Ultimate, marking her first appearance in the Dead or Alive series and also the second character to represent Ninja Gaiden along with Ryu Hayabusa. * According to Dead or Alive 5 Ultimate, she is four years younger than Ryu and three years older than Ayane. The latter was 14 at the time of Ninja Gaiden (Xbox), so Momiji was around 17 when she lost her older sister Kureha. However, her exact age during the events of Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2 and Ninja Gaiden 3 is unknown. At the time of Dead or Alive 5 Ultimate she is 21. Gallery Ryu and Momiji.jpg|Ryu and Momiji concept art Horrifyed momiji.jpg|Momiji looks on in horror as Ryu loses to Ishtaros. Momiji.jpg|Momiji from Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2 03.jpg|Momiji assists her master, Ryu. 155_094556_d89da.jpg|Momiji - Art of the Crimson Lotus momiji-01.jpg|NGS2 duniaku-momijicostume-1b.jpg Momiji_NGS2_09.jpg|NGS2 67734_384364214983857_525292338_n.jpg|NGS2+ 189196_384362731650672_1658517191_n.jpg|NGS2+ Momiji_NGS2_02.jpg|Momiji finishing off a Black Spider Tactical Ninja ninja-gaiden-3-razors-edge_momiji_Hidden_Black_Flower.jpg|NG3:RE Hidden Black Flower ninja-gaiden-3-razors-edge_momiji_Purifying_Flame.jpg|NG3:RE Purifying Flame ninja-gaiden-3-razors-edge_momiji_Ascetic_White.jpg|NG3:RE Ascetic White ninja-gaiden-3-razors-edge_momiji_Indigo_Happi.jpg|NG3:RE Indigo Happi momiji yaiba.jpg|Momiji as she appears in Yaiba: Ninja Gaiden Z. NG2 Art Char Momiji Costume 1a.jpg|NG2-Sigma: Momiji artwork NG2 2S Art Char Momiji Costume DLC.jpg|Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2 DLC costume concept NG2_Render_Char_Momiji_01d3b.jpg|NG2-Sigma: Momiji render NG2_Render_Char_Momiji_02b2.jpg|NG2-Sigma: Momiji render of Ascetic White costume NG2_Render_Char_Momiji_03a.jpg|NG2-Sigma: Momiji render of Indigo Happi costume NG2_Render_Char_Momiji_05ab.jpg|NG2-SigmaPlus: Momiji render of alternate costume NG2_Render_Char_Momiji_06Nc.jpg|NG2-Sigma: Momiji render NG2_Render_Char_Momiji_07_WarriorsOrochi3_Abb2.png|Warriors Orochi 3: Momiji render NG2_Render_Char_Momiji_07_WarriorsOrochi3_Abe1b.jpg|Warriors Orochi 3: Momiji render NG2_Render_Char_Momiji_07_WarriorsOrochi3_B.jpg|Warriors Orochi 3: Momiji render External Links * Dead or Alive Wiki: Momiji * Koei Wiki: Momiji Category:Ninja Gaiden III Characters Category:Characters Category:Ninja Gaiden II Characters